Skookumchuck offers an enchanting 4-km hike to the famous Narrows. Tall moss-covered trees surround you with the rich fragrance of lush green rainforest. There is a feel of enchantment while walking the trail. The energies are such that toward dusk you almost feel as if the trees are whispering to you. After about an hour, depending on the speed of your walk and whether you stop to take photos, you reach Roland Point. There on a rocky outcrop you can view the rapids as well as wide expanse of the Narrows.
Timing is everything. Look up a Skookumchuck tide table if you want to catch the rapids during their peak. The type of rapid and height varies dramatically depending on the time of day and month. This photograph was taken during a moment that is termed a large flood tide. Not the biggest of rapids, but large enough to attract eight enthusiastic kayakers to the scene. There is apparently an hour’s leeway in time before and after the peak time listed before the rapids begin or end. I arrived at the Narrows just as the kayakers were making preparations and the rapids began to peak.
Setting my Olympus 4/3 at 1,000 ISO, I chose an 800th of a second at F10 at the fast 10 FPS mode while using a 75–300mm lens. That enabled me to capture bursts of action with lots of frothing whitewater rapids. One at a time, the kayakers each entered a lane where a stream of rapids ran near the shoreline. They positioned themselves at just the right spot, then paddled like crazy to keep from being swept downstream. When they had had enough, they relinquished their position for the next kayaker who was lined up to take their turn.
After half an hour, the kayakers were still going strong;150 images later, I decided it was time to re-enter the forest and head back to the car. I had a very satisfying day, having seen and photographed two contrasting worlds, the calm of the forest and the excitement of whitewater rapids, along with lots of rainforest moss and the smiling faces of happy kayakers. This was my first time seeing the rapids, and I didn’t really know what to expect. But I was prepared and am happy with the results, leaving me with another unique experience to remember.
Words & Photography | Allan Forest
See more of Allan Forest’s photography at expressionsofphotography.com. Share your Sunshine Coast stories and photos on social media using #sunshinecoastbc. For more information about the Sunshine Coast, visit sunshinecoastcanada.com.
